The Snitch, The Gambler, The Babysitter
by Maryline Depp
Summary: New week, new case. Illegal gambling... Someone has to go as the inside man to gamble and lose money, while someone else has to babysit… "Peter's head's gonna explode when he hears that one…" MORE INSIDE… CHAPTER 5 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**WHITE COLLAR : 'The Snitch, The Gambler, The Babysitter'**

**SUMMARY**

New week, new case. Illegal gambling... Someone has to go as the inside man to gamble and lose money, while someone else has to babysit… 'What Peter doesn't know can't hurt him…'

**Author :** Maryline aka Miss SMG Depp Ackles (see my other link).

**Date :** February 2012

As always I own nothing…

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

Monday morning. Peter was already in his office while Neal was still at home, showering.

"When is this thing gonna come off," he thought out loud, looking at his anklet.

It couldn't be soon enough anyway. He sighed and started to get dressed. He was getting ready for a new week to begin.

Peter was pacing in his office wondering where Neal was. It wasn't even 8 o'clock yet but Neal was always there by 7.45 a.m. Peter had a lot of work to do, a special assignment, and he needed Neal to get here. He quickly arrived. As soon as he set foot in the office Peter yelled after him.

"Great, what have I done now?" Neal asked, looking at Jones as he took the stairs to Peter's office.

"Neal, finally," Peter said.

Neal took a look at his watch. "It's not 8 a.m. yet, what could I possibly have done wrong already," he joked.

"Nothing – yet," Peter said. "But I've got an assignment for you. It's gonna be a busy week."

Neal didn't say a word. He waited for Peter to go on with more details.

Jones and Diana invited themselves inside the office. They had heard of Neal's new mission already and didn't want to miss his face when he learned the news. It would be brilliant to start the week.

"So, Peter, what is it about this time? Do we have to catch some big bad guy and you need an inside man? Big drug dealer in town? Art thief? What is it?" Neal asked, all smiles.

"Illegal gambling," Peter started to explain.

"Okay," Neal sounded suspicious already. "Care to elaborate?" he asked.

"Well, if you will let me," Peter said, impatient and annoyed of always being interrupted by Neal.

"Big fish in town about to seal a deal with us…" Peter started before being interrupted by Neal once again.

"Cool, I'll be your inside man. I'm good with cards and every other game," he said as his smile grew bigger.

"I don't think so," Peter said. "We need you for something else."

Neal was anxious.

Jones and Diana were trying to hide a smile and Neal was growing impatient.

"That guy will get us inside if someone stays with his daughter, keep an eye on her," Peter said.

Neal could feel it coming. His smile dropped. "Oh no no no, don't even think it," he said as he threw his hands in the air. "No way I'm babysitting." He shook his head.

Peter smiled. "Oh yes. You'll keep an eye on the daughter, Tessa…"

"What? While one of you has all the fun gambling? Are you kidding me?" Neal said, upset. "And who would it be?"

Peter smiled so much his jaw hurt. "Me."

"Oh no, what do you even know about gambling?" Neal asked.

"I know a lot," Peter replied.

"Oh c'mon, Peter, I'm the man for this job. I'm telling you, I'm your guy!" Neal practically begged.

Diana and Jones were laughing hard. They knew Neal wouldn't like it at all. He would have been the inside man. He would have been the one playing, gambling. He would have been the one having all the fun.

"You see, Neal, the goal here is to lose money, a lot of it," Peter explained.

"So? I can do that," Neal replied.

"I don't think you could. You cheat," Peter said.

Neal looked at him. "Now you're really hurting my feelings," he joked.

"I mean, you would win and we don't need that. So, you go pack your stuff and go live at their house, with the daughter, for a week. And don't forget that charming smile of yours," Peter teased.

Neal shot him his 'just drop it' look.

"I bet that kid is twelve. I've never babysat for anyone before. What am I supposed to do all day long to keep her busy?" Neal wondered out loud.

"Bring some games," Diana said.

"And don't forget cartoons," Jones added with a smile.

Neal wished he could get his hands on something to throw at Jones. But nothing on the table besides files.

Peter walked up to Neal. "That's not it," he said.

"What now, there's more?" Neal asked, not sure he wanted to know what was coming his way now. "Is it Christmas or something?"

Peter was smiling. It could be good or it could be bad.

"The anklet's coming off for this one," he said.

Now that was something Neal liked to hear. He started smiling again as someone came in the office to remove it.

"You're letting me lose for a week? Um, I like that, free at last," Neal teased.

"One wrong move and you're back in your cell, you know that, right?" Peter said, seriously.

"C'mon, Peter, don't you trust me now?"

Peter gave him that look.

"Okay, don't answer that," Neal said. Then he tried again. "Are you sure you don't need me to gamble? I can lose. I'll be your inside man."

"Sorry, Neal, this one's for me," Peter said, smiling again.

Neal knew any further discussion on the subject was a waste of time so he went home to pack some stuff and left after explaining the situation to Mozzie.

He drove to the house he was supposed to stay at and parked the car nearby. He walked to the door as fast as he could. This assignment couldn't be over soon enough.

He rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door. He heard footsteps inside the house.

A woman opened the door.

"Hi, I'm looking for Tessa," he said.

The woman looked at him from head to toe. "You must be Neal," she said.

He nodded. She invited him inside the house.

It was a very big, very nice house. You knew as soon as you were inside that rich people owned the place. Everything looked expensive. The kind of things, art, Neal used to get his hands on.

"Is Tessa here?" he asked again.

The woman turned to face him. "You're talking to her," she said.

Neal looked confused. Here he was, standing with a box of games and cartoon DVDs to entertain a kid and before his eyes was a beautiful woman. A young woman, around 20 years old, he thought. A smile started to show on his face.

'_This is gonna be fun… if only Peter could see this'_ he thought, smiling.

… **TBC …**

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you f<strong>or reading so far :) More chapters soon!<strong>**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"You're Tessa?" Neal asked, surprised.

"Yes," she replied.

"I can show you my ID, if you want," she said with a smile.

'_Wow, Peter's head's gonna explode when he hears that one'_, he whispered so she couldn't hear.

He was smiling. _Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all_, he thought.

He was lost in thoughts and she was the one staring now. She obviously liked what she saw.

"Everything okay? You seem very surprised to see me, what did you expect?" she asked as she invited him to sit down.

He smiled, "A ten year-old kid."

"Happy or disappointed?" she asked.

"Happy," he said.

"I've never babysat at all. I wouldn't know where to start, what game to play," he explained.

"I've got a few ideas," she teased, smiling at him.

Obviously, her mind was set on something else.

He decided to change the subject before the situation got out of hand and asked for something to drink.

"Coffee okay?" she asked.

He nodded. She went to the kitchen to get some ready. It only took a few minutes.

Neal sighed, wondering what to do now. But he couldn't help smiling at the situation.

She came back with the coffee and sat next to him.

Neal and Tessa talked some over coffee before being interrupted by Neal's cell ringing. It was Peter.

"Everything going well so far?" he asked.

"Very well," Neal said.

"How's everything with Tessa?"

"Really good," Neal answered.

Peter thought it was weird that Neal didn't seem mad at him anymore. _Something must be up_, he thought but didn't say.

"Are you having fun playing games with the kid?"

"You have no idea," Neal said as Tessa couldn't keep her eyes off him.

Tessa's hands were already on his shirt.

"Well, good to hear, keep me updated, okay?" Peter asked.

"Sure."

_Maybe I should have told him about Tessa being all grown up_, he thought. _Oh no, what Peter doesn't know can't hurt him_. He smiled and hung up.

Tessa tried to kiss him.

"I'm sorry, I can't," he said even though he was dying to kiss her.

He was very professional, well at times. She was a little bit young for him anyway; he was over ten years older than her. Not that the age really mattered nowadays.

On his side, Peter was meeting with Tessa's father, Mark for the first time. He went to his place as Mark wasn't comfortable going to the FBI office.

He owned another house he sometimes used for business meetings to avoid bringing work at home where his daughter lived. That's where they met today. It was very important to him to keep business and private life separate.

"She's all I have," Mark said about his daughter.

"Since her mother died it's just the both of us. If anything happened to her…"

"Don't worry, she's safe, we have someone keeping an eye on her," Peter tried to reassure him.

"I just called and everything's going well," Peter said.

_If only he knew…_

"She's more precious to me than anything in this world," Mark said.

Peter nodded. "I know, she'll be fine, everything's under control."

"So, what can you tell me about the gambling, the casino… Anything?" he asked.

"Well, the boss is Sam, I've only met him a few times but he's okay. The illegal gambling takes place at the back of the casino, hidden behind closed doors. Needles to say there are a lot of guards, security, it's not easy to get in," he explained.

Peter nodded to show he understood.

"Okay, so we've agreed you take me with you to see what's going on. I'll be your cousin in town for a few days. A cousin with some cash to spend, they need to see I have a lot of money and I will lose a lot of it," Peter said.

Mark was pacing. He was nervous. He got himself some strong beverage and asked Peter if he wanted some but he declined.

Not on the job, of course. Peter was a serious guy.

"You need to lose at least ten thousand, that's when they come after you. They offer you a credit line, a big one, and that's how it all starts."

"I see, okay, it shouldn't be that hard to lose money. You've never seen me in a casino," Peter joked.

Mark tried to smile but he was too anxious.

Peter left and saw Mozzie near his car.

"What's up, Mozzie?" he asked, confused to see him there.

"How's it going with the snitch?" Mozzie asked.

"Not a snitch," Peter replied.

"Well, how do you call it then?"

Peter was thinking but Mozzie wouldn't even give him the time to breathe.

"He's giving you info to bust people he's in touch with and those people can't know he's talking to the FBI, he's a snitch," Mozzie said proudly.

Peter just nodded to put an end to the discussion.

"How do you know about the case anyway?" Peter asked, curious.

"How do you think?" Mozzie said.

"Neal couldn't keep his mouth shut, once again," Peter said, annoyed.

Mozzie didn't say a thing, for once. Peter should have known by now that Neal and Mozzie were really close and sharing a lot of info.

"I'm busy, Mozzie, what do you want and how did you find me here?"

Then he thought again.

"Well, don't answer that. What are you here for?"

"Just checking in," Mozzie replied.

"Oh I get it," Peter started. "You miss Neal, is that it?"

"Don't be silly," Mozzie said.

He shrugged. Of course he was missing his friend. But he wouldn't admit it.

"How is Mrs Suit?" Mozzie asked to change the subject.

"She's fine."

"Maybe I'll go say hi," Mozzie said.

_Poor El, I don't know how she does it_, Peter thought to himself and smiled.

"Don't change the subject. I get it. No Neal for a few days and you feel lonely, you miss him," Peter said.

Mozzie threw his hands in the air. "As I said, Suit, just checking in, gotta go now."

With that, he left. Peter let out a laugh.

On his side, Neal was still with Tessa. Trying to avoid her touch. She was pretty and she obviously liked him.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked.

"How about some shopping," she said.

_Oh goodie, a man's dream_, Neal thought, sighing.

"You can carry all my stuff," she added with a smile.

He smiled, and they left of course in a limousine. He just hoped she wasn't the type that liked going shopping for hours.

Later that night, Peter and Mark went to the casino. Mark had agreed to introduce Peter to the big boss, Sam, if they got the chance. They were on their way.

"Remember, I'm your cousin, and try not to be too nervous, act as usual," Peter reminded him.

"Easier said than done," Mark said.

They parked and knocked on the door. Then, the ritual started. You needed a password to get in. Then, people would check you for weapons…

Neal and Tessa were going from one store to another at a speedy rate. Neal was wondering how a woman could walk that fast in high heels and spend so much money in so little time.

He was following her everywhere and carrying her bags. They stopped to grab a bite.

"Not too bored?" she asked him.

"Not at all," he lied.

"What's planned for tonight?" he asked, anxious already.

"I wanna go out," she said.

Neal was feeling tired already.

Everything was going well for Peter and Mark so far. They were gambling some, winning some, losing some. Then, Mark decided it was time to go gamble for real with the bad guys. He showed Peter the way to the back door.

"Hi everyone, this is my cousin, Peter. Peter, this is Sean, Patrick, John and Tom," Mark made the introductions.

Sam wasn't there yet. He usually showed up later and generally when someone needed a big credit line.

They were playing poker. Peter was losing. But not fast enough. He wanted to lose a lot more a lot faster so he could meet that Sam guy and get things going.

Someone opened the door to bring drinks and Peter took a peek inside the casino where he had been a few minutes ago. Suddenly, Peter's jaw dropped open.

"Oh no, tell me I'm dreaming!"

… **TBC …**

* * *

><p><strong>THANK YOU FOR READING SO FAR – More chapters soon!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

By the back door was standing Neal Caffrey with a beautiful woman at his arm.

An hour earlier…

"I wanna play, I wanna go to the casino," Tessa said.

Now things were getting interesting.

"Are you even 21?" Neal asked.

"Yep," she said as she grabbed her ID in her purse.

"Turned 21 last month," she added proudly.

Now, Neal was smiling for real. They could indeed go to the casino and gamble and it was all legal. He was feeling good.

_Peter won't be happy_, he thought. _But then again it's her idea and I can't tell her what to do. After all I'm just here to keep an eye on her, follow her everywhere_. _I'm just doing my job…_ His smile grew bigger.

They were back at her place within minutes. She dropped her keys and bags and ran upstairs to get changed.

Neal waited downstairs. He took a look at the place. Some fine arts, he loved it. It was tempting, very tempting. He could make a fortune with some of that stuff. And he wasn't wearing the anklet anymore, not during this mission. But he didn't take a thing, he just looked.

"I'm almost done," Tessa yelled.

"It's okay, take your time," Neal said as he kept looking at everything.

She finally came back downstairs. She was wearing a nice dress. She was a sexy woman. Everyone could see that.

A few minutes later, they were on their way to the casino.

"Don't worry, you can play with me,…" she teased. "I mean my money."

Neal was uncomfortable but tried to hide it.

"Oh no, tell me I'm dreaming!" Peter couldn't help say out loud, forgetting for a second where he was and what he was doing.

Neal was standing there, inside the casino, with a woman.

_This time I'm gonna kill him_, Peter thought to himself. He was fuming.

"What is it?" one of the guys asked.

It brought Peter back to reality. "Nothing, I thought for a second I saw an old friend but it wasn't him."

He quickly changed the subject and asked for something to eat.

They were playing poker and Peter was doing his best to lose a lot of money. It took about an hour. He couldn't focus on the game as much as he wanted. He couldn't stop thinking about Neal being here with someone. He was furious.

Once he lost a lot of money he stood up, pretending to be ready to go.

"I think it's enough for one night," he said as everyone looked up at him.

"Oh c'mon, Peter, we're having fun, if you need more money, we can arrange that," Tom said.

Mark looked at Peter.

"I don't know, I've lost a lot already, I don't…"

"Don't worry about it, it's under control," Tom said.

"So, do you want to keep playing or not?" John asked.

Peter nodded yes. Someone called after Sam and he quickly came in the room.

"Someone needs some cash?" Sam asked.

John made the introductions and told him it was Peter.

"So, you need more cash?" Sam asked Peter.

Peter nodded. Sam smiled.

"Ok, I can lend you ten thousand," he proposed.

"Thanks," Peter said, expecting a little bit more details.

"You pay me back little by little with a profit. 2,500 a week for five week. It's a total of 12,500," he explained and asked if Peter was interested.

Peter smiled and thanked him again. Now things were finally going somewhere.

Once the deal was done Peter kept playing and of course losing so he owned Sam big time.

He then came back home where Elizabeth was still awake and waiting for him.

"What are you doing up, El, it's 2 a.m?" he asked his wife.

"Waiting for you, honey, how did it go?"

"Well, something unexpected came up," he started to explain.

"Unexpected?"

"Neal showed up and with a woman!" Peter was getting angry again.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. He's got some nerve showing up there when I told him not to! I guess he couldn't stand not being the inside man for this one," Peter said.

"I'm sure there's a rational explanation, don't jump to conclusion," El said.

"You know we're talking about Neal. He's always got some explanation. But he won't get away with it this time."

"Calm down, you'll see what he has to say tomorrow," El tried to comfort her husband.

"Besides the Neal part how did it go?

"Fine. Lost some money, met the guy and now I'm exhausted," Peter said as he sat down.

"You're not 20 anymore," she teased.

"I'll show you if I'm not 20 anymore," he teased back and kissed her.

The next morning Neal was called in the FBI offices to talk about their respective progress. But it was a pretext to talk to Neal. An excuse for Peter to let his frustration out.

As soon as he saw Neal come in Peter motioned for him to come upstairs, in his office.

"How dared you show up at the casino last night?" Peter asked, angry.

Neal opened up his mouth but Peter didn't give him a chance to explain.

"I hope you had a good time because it's the last time you set foot in that place!" Peter went on.

"Yeah, I made 200 bucks," Neal flashed his charming smile.

It only annoyed Peter more.

"Don't you smile! You're only one foot away from your cell, I hope you know that!"

"Peter, I…"

"How could you show up? And with a date," Peter added, upset.

"This is a 24/7 mission! I thought I was clear enough!" he added.

Peter was mad, really mad and for once Neal had done nothing wrong.

"How am I in trouble now?" Neal asked.

"You were told not to go to the casino and gamble yet you showed up and with a woman!"

"Not a woman," Neal tried to defend himself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, maybe I didn't see well enough, was it a man, then, wearing a dress?" Peter asked, getting angrier by the second.

"You told me my assignment was to protect her. To follow her everywhere," he explained with a smile.

"I don't see how it has anything to do with the mission! That woman…" Peter started to say.

"That woman you saw me with, it was her, Tessa," Neal explained.

Peter's jaw dropped open once again. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. In his head Tessa was a little kid, not a woman.

Neal decided to go on with his explanation.

"Well, she wanted to go gamble, she's 21, she can, so I went with her, simple as that," Neal said with a huge smile on his face.

"Following her every move and protecting her was my assignment, wasn't it?"

Peter was pacing, and fuming.

"Once again, Neal, you've managed to turn the situation around," he said.

"I did no such thing," Neal tried to defend himself, and obviously enjoying the situation.

"Is it my fault she's 21 and not some 10 year-old kid?"

Peter shot him the 'don't you start' look.

Neal sat down and kept his mouth shut. For a few seconds anyway. Inside, he truly was enjoying the situation. For once he really had done nothing wrong.

"Look, Peter, I'm sorry if you're mad for some reason but what have I done wrong this time, just tell me?"

Peter didn't reply right away. He tried to calm down.

"Alright, maybe I'm getting mad for nothing here, but you should have told me about her as soon as you found out," Peter said.

"And miss your face?" Neal joked.

"Neal!"

"Fine, I should have," Neal tried to ease the tension.

"Just go back to that house and keep an eye on her and by eye I really just mean an eye on her, don't charm her or anything," Peter said.

"When's the last time I did that?" Neal asked.

"Oh please!" Peter shrugged.

Neal smiled. "Not my fault if women like me that much," he teased.

Then, he met Peter's gaze again and decided it was best to stop irritating him, for now anyway.

"Oh, and try to keep her away from that casino," Peter said.

"And how do I do that exactly?" Neal wondered. "I can't really tell her what to do, so if she wants to go…"

"C'mon, Neal, you're used to entertaining women, I'm sure you'll figure something out. Take her to a movie or something," Peter suggested.

"And yet I can't charm her," Neal was smiling but Peter really wasn't.

… **TBC …**

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading so far, thank you for the reviews and PMs, more chapters soon! :) P.S : please keep in mind that English isn't my language, thank you :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 **

Neal went back to Tessa's house. She wasn't downstairs yet. _Probably still sleeping, _he thought.

He was wondering whether he should go check on her or not. He decided to wait for a few minutes. He tried to make some noise moving some chairs around but still nothing. Tessa wouldn't come downstairs. He thought it would be best to go upstairs and see if everything was alright.

He knocked on her door and called her name. Still nothing. He paused before knocking again.

"I hope you're decent… I'm coming in," he said as he gently pushed the door open.

To his surprise Tessa was very much awake, sitting on her bed in a very sexy position wearing some sexy lingerie.

"Oh," was all Neal managed to say.

He was not ready to see that!

"Didn't you hear me knock?" he asked.

She smiled and touched her lips with her finger in a very seducing way.

"Of course I did. Come on in, I was waiting for you."

"I should go," Neal replied yet his eyes couldn't leave Tessa's body.

"Nonsense," she said as she placed her hands on her lingerie.

Neal was very uncomfortable. He couldn't hide it. She noticed and loved it.

"You should feel how soft it is," she added as she ran her fingers on her lingerie.

"Tessa, please, can you just get dressed and come downstairs?"

"Not before you feel how soft it is," she teased.

She licked her lips and didn't stop staring at him for a second. He couldn't believe it.

"Alright, I'll be waiting downstairs," he said and was quickly on his way out.

He bumped into someone in the hallway. Tessa's father. He had come home early for a little bit to check on his daughter himself and was not ready to see how far the situation was getting. How close the protection was turning in a way he didn't want to see.

"Oh my God! What's happening here?" he yelled as he saw his daughter wearing that and Neal just leaving the room.

His imagination didn't take long. Thoughts and images were playing in his head. He was fuming and not far from hitting Neal. Neal noticed and tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Sir, I can assure you it's not what it looks like! It's not what you think!" Neal said.

"You. Out!" Tessa's father yelled.

"Daddy!" Tessa yelled back. "Please, no, I like him!" she complained.

_Not what you should have said_, Neal thought.

"Tessa, please, can you tell your father that I was just coming here to check on you, that I didn't…"

"He's lying, daddy, it's exactly what you think!"

_What?_ Neal shot her a killing look.

"He loved the way my lingerie felt under his fingers," Tessa went on.

Neal could see her father's fists clench.

"Oh my God, Tessa, why would you say that?" Neal asked irritated. "You know it's not what happened!"

"How could you?" Tessa's father said coming closer to Neal.

It's like he could only hear what his daughter was saying. Neal shrugged, didn't know what to say next. It was obvious that the guy would always believe his daughter over him.

"I trusted you with my daughter and this is what you do? You… and her? You better leave before I hit you!"

"I didn't do a thing!" Neal said once again.

Neal was still standing there trying to ease the tension and make Tessa's father understand that nothing had happened.

"I can assure you I haven't touched her!" Neal said.

"Are you calling my daughter a liar now?"

"No Sir, I'm just trying to explain the situation here. I was waiting downstairs and just came up here to check on her. I was worried. I didn't touch her, I swear. I was on my way back downstairs, waiting for her to be decent and..."

"And nothing, I want you out, now! And trust me - your boss will hear from me!"

_Oh great!_ Neal thought. _Just what I needed! I'm gonna be in trouble again and I haven't done a thing!_

He left and it didn't take five minutes for his cell to ring. It was Peter.

"Well, congratulations, Neal! It didn't take long! You screwed up again, that's just great! Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"

"Peter, it's not what you think, I"

"Just get your ass over here!" Peter ordered and quickly hung up before Neal could say a word.

Neal did as asked and went back to the office.

Everyone starred at him and not in a good way. Sometimes news traveled fast, very fast.

"What have you done now?" Peter asked angry as soon as Neal set foot in his office.

"Nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing when Tessa's father called me."

"And of course you believe him?" Neal said.

"Oh don't you start with me!" Peter replied.

Neal sighed. He was tired of people not believing him. He looked kind of sad. Sad that Peter didn't trust him.

"I swear, Peter, I went upstairs to check on her, she wasn't answering. I was worried that maybe something happened. So I went upstairs, knocked on her door and when I heard nothing I came into the room and there she was wearing almost nothing. She was teasing me, asking me to touch her lingerie... I swear I did not touch her."

"That's just great!" Peter said as he threw his hands up in the air.

"You don't believe me?" Neal asked, sadness in his voice.

Peter didn't know what to think. He asked Neal to go on.

"I bumped into her father as I was leaving the room and he got the wrong idea and she didn't do a thing to explain the situation. She made it worse."

"Now why would she do that?" Peter asked confused.

"She was upset I didn't want to play along and touch her lingerie. She's into me," Neal explained.

"But of course!" Peter rolled his eyes.

"How is it my fault now?" Neal wondered out loud.

Peter shot him an unpleasant look.

"And YOU told me to charm her, remember," Neal added.

"Oh, ok, I get it, so it's MY fault now?" Peter replied.

"Peter, it's not what I mean. I just mean that if you would just listen to me… I mean c'mon don't you believe me? Don't you trust me by now?"

"Sometimes you make it hard, Neal."

"Do you really believe that I would do such a thing? That I would get my hands on her?"

Peter was pacing. He was mad. He was trying to be rational and listen to Neal. Deep inside he knew that Neal wouldn't do that.

"Okay, maybe I'm too hard on you, at the moment anyway," Peter finally said.

Neal smiled.

"I believe you, Neal."

"Thank you, Peter."

"I guess she's young and into you, as you said, and wanted to see how far you would go, or how far she could drive you crazy."

Neal didn't want to comment on that. He just nodded.

"So, what do we do now?" Neal asked. "And how's it going with her father, the gambling and everything?"

"It's going okay for now. I lost some money, met with that Sam guy. He offered the usual deal. Ten thousand bucks. Gotta pay back 2,500 a week for five week. So 12,500 in the end."

"That's a good start," Neal said.

"So, of course I won't be able to pay back in time and when he sends his guys to kick my ass we make a first bust."

Neal was smiling for some reason.

"What are you smiling at?" Peter asked.

"Don't know… _'Kick my ass'_ ," he repeated. "The way you talk sometimes surprises me," he teased.

"I see," Peter said confused. "I'm not that old, you know?"

Neal raised an eyebrow. And Peter noticed.

"Hey, I saw that," he complained.

"Let's just say I'm younger," Neal went on.

Peter faked a smile. Neal's sense of humor was different than his.

"And about Tessa?" Neal asked.

"I'll meet with her father and explain everything. I'll try to make you look like an angel."

Again, Neal smiled.

"Gonna be a hard job," Peter teased.

… **TBC …**

* * *

><p><strong>Again, thank you for reading :) Sorry it took a while to update, there was my 28th birthday then I hurt my shoulder real bad.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for the reviews!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>CHAPTER 5<span> **

Peter met with Tessa's father and explained everything. It took some hard convincing before Mark finally agreed that his daughter sometimes liked to be the center of attention. And that it was possible that maybe she found Neal attractive and maybe she wanted to get his attention and not the other way around.

"I can assure you that Mr Caffrey is very professional. He would never do anything unethical," Peter couldn't believe he was saying such things.

"I believe you. I'm sorry I misjudged the situation."

"Don't worry about it," Peter replied.

"From what you've said about him, Mr Caffrey almost looks like an angel," Mark said.

Peter had to fight hard to hide a laugh.

"So, what do we do now?" Mark asked.

"Do you agree to let Neal keep an eye on your daughter?"

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea. I don't feel comfortable having him around my daughter anymore even though apparently he hasn't done anything disrespectful. I hope you understand."

"Of course I understand. I'll send you someone else," Peter said.

"I need more details before I let another stranger get close to my daughter," Mark replied.

"Naturally. I'm thinking of agent Jones," Peter said.

"Okay, can you tell me a little bit more about him? How is he like?"

"Nothing like Mr Caffrey," Peter replied with a smile.

"Okay then, I agree."

"Good," Peter said and was on his way out.

Meanwhile, Neal went back to his place to shower and change clothes. Mozzie was sitting at the kitchen table like always with a glass of wine.

"Want some?" he asked Neal.

But Neal declined.

"Not on the job," he said. "Well, technically I don't know if I'm still at least a little bit on the case," he added.

"Why's that?" Mozzie asked.

"Long story."

"C'mon, tell me," Mozzie pried.

"Okay. To make a long story short, the girl's caused me nothing but trouble so far," Neal summarized.

"I see. What kind?"

"I went to check on her and she was laying there in bed wearing almost nothing and asking me to touch her lingerie and her skin…"

"Interesting," Mozzie's eyes were wide open.

Neal was confused.

"You're a woman magnet, a womanizer," Mozzie said.

"Oh please."

"It's true. Wherever you go there's always a woman falling for you," Mozzie said.

Neal had to admit that it was partly true. But it wasn't his fault he was so damn good looking.

"So, what did you do?" Mozzie asked to know the end of the story.

"Nothing. Her father came home and had the wrong idea and she put the blame on me, making up stories, telling him that I did touch her…"

"I see."

"He told me to go and not come back. He called Peter and now…"

"Peter's on your back," Mozzie would sometimes finish Neal's sentences.

"Exactly! He went to talk to her father. He might still be there as we speak. And I'm waiting to know if I can go back there or not," Neal explained.

"Are you sure you don't want a drink?" Mozzie asked. "It might do you some good, you're upset."

"No, I'm fine, thanks. After a good shower and a change of clothes I feel like a new man already," he smiled.

"Feels good to be home, doesn't it?" Mozzie asked.

"Oh yeah!"

It felt good to be home indeed. But he couldn't help wondering how it was going with Peter and Mark. He didn't need to wait any longer. His cell rang. It was Peter.

"So, how did it go?" Neal asked right away.

"Pretty good. You're off the case!" Peter said.

"Oh, and how is that good? And first of all, how come you're not mad if I blew it?"

"Well, he's not pressing charges," Peter replied.

"Ok, good to hear," Neal was relieved.

"He believed me when I told him you were an angel. Then I didn't have the heart to tell him it was far from reality," Peter said.

"Haha, real funny!"

"Why am I not mad? Well, as you explained she put the moves on you, not the other way around."

"What do I do now then?" Neal asked.

"Come back to the office and we'll figure that out."

"Okay."

They hung up and both met at the office about 30 minutes later. Once there Neal quickly took the stairs to Peter's office. Peter was sitting at his desk, impatiently waiting. It was just the two of them.

"So?" Neal asked impatient to know what to do next.

"So, I'm thinking we need another inside man," Peter said.

He didn't even have time to finish that Neal was already all smiles.

"Great, you know that I know the game. I can gamble and win or lose money, your call," Neal said, excited like a child.

"I wasn't really thinking about you for that job," Peter said.

"What? Now I'm confused, why did you call me here then?"

Then he thought for a minute.

"Oh no, don't tell me you have someone else to babysit? Because I'm not interested!" Neal said.

"It's not really your call now is it?"

Neal shrugged.

"Oh, c'mon, Peter."

"Actually, I was thinking of sending Jones to keep an eye on Tessa and taking Diana with me to distract the other guys including Sam's team," Peter explained.

"You'd take a woman with you in a world like that?" Neal said even though it didn't really make sense as Diana was a really good agent who could be sent anywhere for any job.

He was ready to say about anything to get the job. He wanted to be part of it. Be where the action was taking place.

Jones and Diana came in the office. Peter told Jones that he'd replace Neal with Tessa. He wasn't too happy either. Babysitting wasn't what he had in mind when he joined the team.

"Just for a few more days," Peter told him.

"Okay," was all Jones could say.

"Please, Peter, let me come with you, I'll do everything you say, and you'll barely even notice me!" Neal said.

"I somehow doubt that!" Peter teased. "You always manage to get the attention drawn to yourself."

"You really don't trust me, do you?" Neal asked in a sad voice.

He was hurt that after all this time Peter didn't really know him that well.

"Don't be like that. It's just that you always manage to turn things around. You always get things to work the way you want."

"Not always," Neal joked.

"Maybe he could join Sam and the others?" Diana gave an idea.

"That's actually what I was thinking," Peter replied.

"The team that's gonna beat you up?" Neal asked with a smile.

"Yeah, Neal, that team," Peter replied. "But please stop it with the smile."

"Sorry," but he really wasn't.

"No gambling," Peter said as he pointed the finger as you would with a child.

"Now that's not fun, why not?"

"Because I said so! I'm the boss," Peter said with a grin.

He sometimes enjoyed getting on Neal's nerves when he got the chance as it was usually the other way around.

"Now, we go to the casino but not together. Once in there you never saw me, never heard of me, nothing, you got that?" Peter said.

"I sometimes wonder if you think I'm stupid," Neal said.

"Oh well let's just say that you're no Peter Burke," Peter teased.

"The day will come you'll admit you'd be lost without me," Neal said.

The truth was, Neal was a big help on most cases. Everybody knew that. Even Peter but he wouldn't say it too much to avoid Neal's head to explode.

"So," Peter went on with the explanation. "I'll tell Mark that he has to behave like he's never seen you either. You go and introduce yourself to Sam. You pretend you're a bodyguard or good fighter or whatever. Anything you want, I don't care, you just join that team."

"Copy that," Neal said.

"You keep your ears and eyes wide open and take mental notes of what's happening on their side. And of course you give me a heads up before they want to beat me up."

"Of course," Neal replied.

"Ok then, that's it. Go do your thing and make me proud," Peter joked.

… **TBC …**

* * *

><p><strong>THANK YOU FOR READING SO FAR :) More chapters soon!<strong>


End file.
